Don’t be shell-shocked! Get all the tasty ingredients you love in your tacos minus the extra carbs—ground beef, corn, rice, avocado, cheddar, and a plethora of spices all in one bountiful Taco Bowl.
Have you ever been asked a question that you thought was so outlandish, only to feel embarrassed, after giving it some thought, that you had never considered it before? That’s how I felt the first time I went to Chipotle. I had heard good things and was excited to try their burritos. We had been planning on going for days so I knew exactly what I wanted. I walked up to the counter, told the young woman my order, and smiled, confident I had a delicious piece of Tex-Mex coming my way.
“Do you want it as a wrap or a bowl?” she asked.
Gone was my smile. In its place, a look of genuine befuddlement. How can I have a burrito in a bowl? Can it even be considered a burrito if it’s not in a flour or corn tortilla? As I went down an existential rabbit-hole, the girl pointed to a photo overhead. There was in fact a bowl bursting with all the ingredients I saw behind the protective glass in front of me. I nodded assent.
That fateful day has transformed how I eat burritos. Sure, I still have them in a tortilla occasionally but it’s nice to know that tortilla isn’t the secret to a good burrito. I can still eat those veggies, ground beef, beans, and cheese without consuming the carbs and calories contained in the container.
What’s the difference between a burrito bowl and a taco bowl?
There’s really not a lot, to be honest. They both feature a base of rice and lettuce. They both (usually) feature a protein, be it ground beef, shredded pork or chicken, tofu, or beans. They can both be topped with a range of fresh veggies, like corn, diced tomatoes, or avocado, and both are flavored with a range of Mexican spices. I find one difference is the presence of more hot ingredients in a burrito bowl—sauteed grilled pepper and onion, for instance—as well as how the spices are integrated. With burritos, the spice is often mixed with the rice-and-bean base, while taco bowls mix it in with the protein. The flavor profile, as a result, is more pronounced in the taco bowl. Last point: some add bits of taco shell to the taco bowls, or even serve the meal in a bowl made out of taco shell. If you are able to find bowls such as this, give it a try. It would also mean less cleanup!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
- pico de gallo (for garnish)
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced or diced (for garnish)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
- 6 cups cooked brown rice
How to Make a Taco Bowl
Step 1: In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat until fully cooked and no longer pink.
Step 2: In a small bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, paprika, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.
Step 3: Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the cooked beef and stir to evenly distribute the spices. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Place approximately 1 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice into each serving bowl.
Step 5: Spoon the seasoned ground beef mixture over the rice in each bowl.
Step 6: Top each bowl with black beans, corn, pico de gallo, avocado slices, shredded cheddar cheese, and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
FAQs & Tips
It depends on whether you’ve assembled your taco bowls. Ideally, your ingredients can still be packed away in their own airtight containers and kept in the fridge for up to four days. At the very least, try to separate the cooked rice, black beans, corn, cheddar cheese, and taco meat in one container, and the rest of the toppings/veggies in another. You can heat them up when you’re hungry then top with the colder ingredients. Otherwise, if you want to keep leftovers, store everything in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Whether taco bowls are healthy or not depends on what you put in them. The ground beef and the rice will deliver the most calories. The beef can be high in fat, but that can be reduced if you opt for extra-lean meat. The rice can be termed healthy if you go for brown rice. So, you see, there are ways you can cut that number down. The cheese and sour cream, meanwhile, can also be high in fat, so consider this before shredding through an entire block of cheddar. We have this particular meal, with the amounts laid out in the ingredients, at 769 calories, which makes it a viable meal packed with loads of energy and, thanks to the vegetables, loads of nutrients, too.
Just like the counter at Chipotle, there is no shortage of ingredients you can personalize your taco bowl with. Instead of rice, you can use quinoa, cauliflower rice, or eschew the grains completely and use mixed greens (this would make it a more of a taco salad FYI). If you want a vegetarian-friendly protein, you can increase the amount of black beans, or use lentils, tofu, or tempeh. If making it vegetarian isn’t a concern, you can cut the fat down by replacing the ground beef with ground turkey or chicken. Instead of sour cream you can use plain Greek yogurt, which adds more protein to your meal. As for the veggies, you can get exotic with pickled red onions, mango salsa, pineapple salsa, crispy tortilla strips, sliced radishes, diced mango or pineapple.
Serving Suggestions
This isn’t a recipe you should serve alongside your taco bowl, but rather, an ingredient you can use instead of the beef: Shredded Chicken in the Oven. If you want to alter the protein, this is a great way to do so. Now that you know how to transform your taco into a bowl, here is a recipe that will show you how to turn it into a soup: The Best Taco Soup. Last, why not complement your bowl with a glass of a Mexican icon: Mango Margaritas. That classic lime taste with an injection of mango.
Taco Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn drained
- Pico de gallo for garnish
- 1 ripe avocado sliced or diced, for garnish
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- Fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish
- 6 cups cooked brown rice
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat until fully cooked and no longer pink.
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, paprika, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the cooked beef and stir to evenly distribute the spices. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place approximately 1 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice into each serving bowl.
- Spoon the seasoned ground beef mixture over the rice in each bowl.
- Top each bowl with black beans, corn, pico de gallo, avocado slices, shredded cheddar cheese, and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
